People crash trucks (the rate at which they crash trucks is kinda impressive tbh), injure hands and backs moving heavy things around, get nasty stuff in their face all the time.
But those incidents cannot easily be characterized, quantifies and evaluated but a bunch of clipboard warrior paper pushers so instead you get a zero tolerance speed limit policy and everyone pats themselves on the back.
People only report it when it's going to be, or already is a big deal, but any injury is supposed to be reported. But yeah, on top of that there is a lot of shit that's real slow to build, RSI for example, or diabetes. Of course with all the rules, anybody that does get injured is going to be painted liable for it, and if you don't get your story straight it's an employment risk to the injured.
I was consulting at BP back in 2002 - even back then the health and safety environment inside their offices (I was all over the world with them) was the same as their oil rigs ... no trip hazards go unreported, always hold the handrails, always cover a hot drink, no calls in the car even with handsfree, very low speed-limits (with cameras) on-site etc - it's lived with me all my days and is very valuable safety advice TBH - none of it was theatre.
Also, every meeting would start with a safety announcement, all fire exits would be noted etc. I've also worked for BHP in Oz and it was exactly the same - drill this into everyone and the risk of an accident is reduced
I enjoyed playing it, the 3D graphics were pretty amazing for the era. I think it came out around the time the video game market imploded, so it could have been general panic inside Atari that triggered someone to dump it prematurely. Loading them onto a cargo ship and pushing them off the side seems really extreme.
Exactly! Great for the kids - my 9 year old son loves it. Even though he's got all the hardware here as well, he much prefers giggling away sitting in front of the computer, so much easier entry point!
Good call out - I was also going to make a comment about the importance of effects, but as the article is trying to keep things simple, I didn't want to complicate matters!
The Valhalla DSP effects are fantastic value, and SuperMassive, my absolute favourite, is also free as in beer. I suspect Sean reads HN https://valhalladsp.com/
If only Valhalla effects came in Linux VST version... I've been futzing around with linvst but it's a horrible kludge (and still doesn't work). I'd happily pay the regular buckaroos for a few professional plugins. Maybe these could get delivered through Steam?
I'm far from a pro producer, but I use tracktion's daw essentials for tasteful fx. Tal has some free old school chorus and cheesy(in a good way) reverbs, then of course there's Uhe.
I haven't tried there standalone fx, but if their built in synth fx are any indicator, you should be able to get some nice sounds from the standalone fx. I do feel like Uhe fx tend to be a little more opaque in terms of the names and values. E.g. having a filter that goes from 0 - 100 instead of just putting the cutoff frequency is a bit too old school. Having a parameter on a delay that's just called "wow" is not very helpful.
In any case all of these companies support Linux, and they all produce software worth taking a look at.
It's really a shame that more developers don't compile their VSTs for Linux. The good news is that if you look around there are plenty that do and give you everything you need to make music on Linux.
Got to say I sympathize with those that don't. All of mine including legacy stuff support LinuxVST (2.4) but it doesn't look like the KVR marketplace has me listed. Maybe they don't count free/OSS stuff?
There are whole little communities that do, but you have to dig for 'em. I recently joined Unfa's patreon (reviewer and popularizer of OSS and Linux music-making gear) and joined his discord server. Only to discover they had an emote of my face, due to my OSS plugin making and because they liked my catchphrase 'I'm Chris from Airwindows and hey… you can do this!'
And so you can. The stuff is out there, and if you look around it's absurd what you can do. My favorite discoveries lately are Bespoke, and the Surge Synth ecosystem (hugely impressive and helpful to other OSS projects of all types)
But you'll find it's a bit of a media freeze-out as far as people TELLING you any of this is happening. I can attest that if you do compile your stuff for Linux, you'll hear almost nothing about it, including from the folks you are supporting. I've got a Mediafire mirror for my stuff that tracks downloads across all my updates. Signed MacOSX bundle supporting M1 machines, 3023 downloads. LinuxVST, 325 downloads.
You do Linux support because you care about it as a concept, not because you're going to get any benefit from it. It doesn't pay, it costs (in dev time that won't be compensated, any more than if you were developing one of the little libraries upon which all the Internet depends). You have to have other work lined up to support you while you do the added Linux support.
Airwindows plugins are amazing! If you haven't tried Chris' plugins, you're missing out.
I buy music and other software to use on Linux all the time. A few individuals willing to play for software might not be significant but I just signed up with your Patreon so hopefully now you're at least partially incentivised to keep releasing your plugins on Linux.
Oh, I'm not doing that for money, or even thinking it will help me survive :)
The question is more whether I'll be compelled to stop work because I'm NOT surviving, but so long as I am, my incentive to release plugins on Linux is because it's the right thing to do. Also, I think it matters to have stuff out there where the barrier to entry is ability and education, not capital. I think basing everything off only how much capital you start with and are able to exploit, distorts things in very unpleasant ways.
Fortunately, so long as I'm alive and have internet I'm able to do something about it. Maybe, so can you! :D
Honestly there are times when I think the attitude is more useful than anything I do code-wise. And I still care a lot about some of the stuff I've come up with in code ;) but these days, more is needed.
It's worth thinking about why this is. I am very determined to stick with the kind of messaging and attitude that I like. I also have a strong intuitive feeling that it's not a good match to what platforms and competition and basically internet capitalism want to see out of me, and they've got enormous pressure to bring to bear, and many ways to direct me towards becoming what's useful to them, and indeed punish me for not doing so.
That would mean that if it's in any way hard to find 'that attitude' you're appreciating, it's because it is reserved for people who both have it and are willing to take a beating to keep it. As we think about stuff like that, think about what ways platforms would like you to be more, I dunno, Logan Paul or PewDiePie etc in nature, for engagement, and in what ways they're able to deliver pressure and advocate for those on their platform to take on that form.
There is this open source CloudSeed reverb, which has a C++ and C# version, I prefer the C++ one. With some knob fiddling it gets closer to infinite reverbs, like in Valhalla and Strymon Big Sky clouds.
I guess it can be compiled for Linux with some kung fu build skills. I ported it over to Electrosmith Daisy STM32, which is very cool too: https://www.electro-smith.com/daisy
Check out the Zynthian, it is a monster of an FX box and has a lot of quality stuff built in - plus, it has the ability to host VST's and in fact is set up to do that out of the box for the PianoTec VST's, so it may not be that difficult a stretch to get Valhalla running under Zynthian, too .. and once it is, you'll find yourself in a whole universe of power. ;)
Zynthian looks cool but it runs Linux on Raspberry Pi 4, so it probably won't be any easier trying to get Windows plugins to run it than on a Linux desktop system.
IMHO, adding an FX pedal to a synth rig is one of the easiest, simplest ways to upgrade that synth and give it a new echelon of dynamics.
I also have to say that the Zynthian is probably one of the best modules for this you can find, but that would definitely be a degree of complexity higher than the article tries to maintain. Still, an amazing FX box that really pushes the value of the F/OSS FX/DSP community (http://zynthian.org/)
I met the founder(s) of ArchiPro at a cloud event in Wellington in either 2013 or 2014 - it is wonderful to see their idea not only be sustained but thrive, bravo!
Milot and Britt's vision for having an impact on the building industry is going to take a lot of work, but they're one of the few people that seem to have unlimited drive for it.
- I worked as a dev for ArchiPro from March 20 - December 21
I had a cynical face on when I clicked this, but I found it a great article and I'd agree with all of the advice in it. It's pragmatic.
The one part I am on the fence on is on being able to play in notes, as opposed to just sequencing them on-screen. The reason I am on the fence is that, for me, there is an important question missing from the article and that is "What style, or genre, of music are you trying to create?". The reason that is important is that it can have a big influence on the tools you use to create your music - whether that is playing by keyboard then using a computer to tidy up your playing, or sitting with a blank piano-roll or step sequencer and creating loops ... I'll put that on a rough scale from Vangelis-style arrangements epics on the left, to synthwave in the middle, to electro and techno on the right, with the scale labelled "suitability of drawing patterns on screen"
Something I always agree with is that not doing it sitting at the computer is important. Not all the time, but it's nice to be able to use your gear and a sequencer without using the keyboard and mouse - if you are reading HN there's a fair chance you use a computer all day, and it's nice that when you are being creative you can put the computer to one side and treat it as a giant digital recording studio / tape recorder, as you create and make music on your synths/grooveboxes/drum machines
My perspective is written as a 50YO who has been making electronic music (acid/electro/techno) since I got my first Amiga at 17! I still can barely play the keys, but I am master of the sequencer. I have most of the classic Roland drum machines and analogue synths - I sequence the synths on Ableton mainly but program all the drums on the machines themselves as it's so much fun, using them to trigger sequences on the 101 and run the arp on my JP6 and Poly61. On the flip side, I sometimes wish I could play the keys as it would help with variations and chords for strings, so I understand the counter argument that I often hear from those classically trained
Another 50-something year old here, also a synthesizerist since I was a teenager.
I've found it very, very useful to have a piano in my studio, even though I haven't taken lessons - it has been great to engage in various Youtube channels and learn proper keys playing, fingering, chord construction and so on.
Also, Rick Beato is a god. If you're a synthesizerist but not a keyboardist, you need to spend some time with Rick.
An alternative is to get a good pad controller. You get a lot out of this beyond just playability (such as knobs — physical knobs are great for experimentation and fast, dynamic changes to things like filters), but it's still something that can be played like a piano in terms of expressiveness. But it's also something that will easily fit on your desk, and the grid layout lends itself to quickly memorizing chord patterns.
I would agree that regardless of the type of music you make (including techno and related genres, which are among my favourites), having a playable instrument will make a big difference to your production. A huge part of this is just happy accidents. The synth part at around 0:40 in this track [1] came about with just pad mashing. A standard part of my process is to record the audio output of whatever noodling I'm doing on a pad controller, pick out the good parts, and loop them. It's way more fun than drawing notes!
Agree with others that the Push is good; I have a Push 2 that I love. It's great for chords and melodies because the layout is massive (8x8). However, it's somewhat expensive (the 2, anyway) and the pads themselves could be better in terms of expressiveness/sensitivity. Also, it's only worth getting a Push if you have Ableton; as a controller for Ableton it really shines.
If you want really expressive pads, which foster dynamics and also allow you to do things like finger drumming (I really recommend questforgroove.com if that sounds interesting to you), the best pad controllers are the ones in the Maschine line-up, by Native Instruments. I have an MK3 but the more basic versions are also apparently very good. The layout is much smaller (4x4) but the pads are massive and super sensitive, they are a joy to play.
A lot of people also use Launch pads by Novation, I don't know much about them, but they are quite popular and they are, I believe, on the cheaper side. https://novationmusic.com/en/launch
Rumour has it that a Push 3 is not too far away, so keep that in mind when considering the Push lineup from Ableton.
> Also, it's only worth getting a Push if you have Ableton; as a controller for Ableton it really shines.
Quick addendum here: I've got a Push 1 that I cribbed for $150 on Ebay a few years ago (a steal at the time!) and absolutely loved my time with it/Ableton Live. When I switched my machines over to Linux though, Ableton didn't follow, so instead I picked up Bitwig and tried using that as a drop-in replacement.
Now, Bitwig is a pretty dang good DAW (I could write an entire essay's worth on why I love it), but what really knocked my socks off was DrivenByMoss' extentions[0]: this guy wrote an impressively expansive Bitwig plugin that lets you use the Push as something other than a generic MIDI controller. What's more is that I think I actually prefer the DrivenByMoss workflow to Ableton's. Partially because of Bitwig's modularity and partially because of the degree of control on display, you can do some outright stupid stuff with Bitwig+Push that isn't really possible on Live. It really is some of the most fun I've ever had making music.
Very cool! I didn’t know about that. I have been hearing a lot of positive stuff about Bitwig in the electronic music community. Personally I have invested too much time (and money) to switch from Ableton, but if I were starting now, I’d definitely consider it.
Ableton Push is absolutely fantastic - the original v1 device is pretty inexpensive as a used purchase, and it's still masses of fun. Very well built as well
Seconding this - the push was amazing for me without a big music background, as chord exploration became shape based, instead of needing piano knowledge.
Actually, just the NORNS itself is going to get you booted up with some ridiculously fantastic music theory, especially if you're the kind that reads the source ..
It requires Ableton (there might be unofficial integrations with other DAWs). I have an Akai Force which is completely standalone, not even a computer needed. But I'd honestly recommend Ableton+Push unless someone really needs it to be standalone.
As a Future Sound of London fan, I was so proud to be an early Demon dial-up customer when they name-checked their email address on Demon on their ground-breaking ISDN radio transmission on Radio 1. (To be read in a monotone female delivery) "For further information, please access the following code ... F S O L .. ACK ... F S O L ... DEMON ... CO ... UK"
Good times - they were a wonderful company, thank you
icy-freeze-thaw is perfect for ski resorts, but sadly it's rare that it happens. It rarely happens in the lowlands where most of Scotland's population lives. We do get frosts in the morning, but it's quite rare for sub-zero C temperatures thanks to our lovely Atlantic-influenced maritime climate. Never that cold in winter, never that warm (sadly) in summer.
